Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

With a recent CEO change and a new strategic plan in process, the American Association of Immunologists is building on its history as a highly respected scientific society to focus more externally on serving the field of immunology and related disciplines while creating more value for members. We are seeking a forward-looking Chief Marketing and Communications Officer experienced in change management with expertise in association membership, marketing, strategic communications, and public relations to lead AAI into this new era.

Reporting to the CEO as a senior leadership team member, you will drive AAI’s marketing and communications strategies, building and leading a team of up to seven professionals (including 3 direct reports). We will look to you to build a centralized marketing function to support the goals of every department and orchestrate a higher level of cohesion in communicating the value of our work and the association, internally and externally. Your work will deepen engagement with membership and expand our reach into adjacent and emerging fields, support revenue growth, and promote the vital role of immunology and immunologists in broader society.

From vaccine development, infectious disease control, and public health policy to improving transplant medicine and cancer treatment, the field of immunology is foundational to ensuring the health of all Americans and people around the globe.

How You’ll Make an Impact

You will be on the ground floor of strategic planning and implementation that will have long-lasting implications for AAI, the field, and society. This role requires a high level of engagement with AAI’s staff, members and volunteer leaders, external stakeholders, and vendors. Key focus areas include:

• Marketing and Communications Strategy. Develop and implement a cohesive external marketing and communications strategy to ensure robust awareness of AAI and its programs and services across the immunology and biomedical research communities, policymakers, members, potential members, partners, corporate supporters, and other key audiences as determined by the Council.
• Public Relations. Garner media attention for the association through intentional outreach, including an ongoing public awareness campaign to inform and educate key audiences on the connection between immunology and overall health (vaccines, vitamins, allergies, etc.) while creating attachment to AAI as a trusted health resource.
• Revenue Growth. Work with program and development staff to cultivate a more business-oriented strategy for optimizing revenue streams, including maximizing existing programs and services and exploring new sources of revenue beyond our journals, courses, and annual meeting (digital media is a potential high-growth area).
• Team Leadership. Lead and mentor staff to maintain a positive, productive working environment in alignment with AAI’s established culture of accountability, collegiality, and support. Foster transparency and trust within the organization.

Work Environment, Salary, and Benefits 

• You’ll enjoy a hybrid work environment with 3 days on-site weekly at our Rockville, MD, office (moving to 2 days/week in 2024).
• The budgeted salary range for this position is $200K - $250K with an outstanding benefits package including generous PTO and sick leave, medical, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement with a 10% employer contribution, disability/life insurance, and employer-paid parking.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the execution of marketing and communications strategies to elevate awareness and understanding of AAI programs and services among internal and external audiences. Develop and/or optimize the use of multiple content types and distribution channels (web, email, social, digital and print advertising, video). Drive efforts to develop and track KPIs to ensure strategies are effective.
• Integrate marketing programs across all AAI product and service lines to achieve revenue goals while also meeting the needs of members and other stakeholder communities. Strengthen organizational capacity to deliver operational excellence and efficiency across all marketing disciplines and channels.
• Lead and/or support external communications strategies and programs to raise awareness of immunology and its central role in health.
• Drive innovative development practices to ensure membership participation and engagement through year-long recruitment and retention strategies.
• Identify and oversee market research and analysis efforts to define the universe of potential members, identify member/audience needs, and translate findings into strategies to advance AAI’s strategic goals.
• Identify strategic growth options for the association’s revenue diversification efforts. Assess member and customer needs, align those with market opportunities, and collaborate to operationalize short and long-term business strategies.
• Provide support for AAI committees relevant to areas of responsibility.
• Develop and maintain budgets for areas of responsibility in conjunction with AAI’s finance team.
• Under the direction of the CEO, keep the AAI Council informed and updated on issues for which this position has oversight. Participate in Council meetings, including travel, as required.